tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435253058176416288.post7843006524232493297..comments2023-08-20T06:16:15.362-05:00Comments on Getafilm: Whatever Happened To: Michael Douglas?Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05222052132452709301noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435253058176416288.post-49358744039543782372009-06-04T13:42:43.461-05:002009-06-04T13:42:43.461-05:00Really excellent description of his typical charac...Really excellent description of his typical character, Shubhajit. Not necessarily somebody you'd like to cozy up to in real life, but yet an excellent character for stories involving greed, corruption, temptation, deceit. Here's a stretch, but he's kind of like Philip Seymour Hoffman in a way - many of his characters are repulsive, yet for the sake of the films they are pitch-perfect. Another example is the late J.T. Walsh, as discussed in the <a href="http://getafilm.blogspot.com/2009/05/underrated-motm-breakdown-1997.html" rel="nofollow">Breakdown</a> post.<br /><br />Thanks for adding your thoughts.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222052132452709301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435253058176416288.post-7050631715842656632009-06-04T00:35:00.812-05:002009-06-04T00:35:00.812-05:00You're right, there has been a streak of simil...You're right, there has been a streak of similarity in all his famous roles like Basic Instinct, Game, Fatal Attraction, Disclosure, Wall Street, Traffic, etc. Nonetheless, I liked him as an actor - his gravelly voice, the explosive volatility of his character, the outwardly-cocky but-inwardly-fragile portrayals, a sort of misanthrope even - these made him the perfect guy for dark, psychological thrillers. I hope the sequel to Wall Street will change things for the better for this compelling actor.Shubhajithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02040495040897333606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435253058176416288.post-81160125231675777532009-06-03T10:21:00.852-05:002009-06-03T10:21:00.852-05:00We're really making it seem like she (CZJ, as ...We're really making it seem like she (CZJ, as in Catherine Zeta-Jones for those just joining us) completely changed him, or he completely changed because of her, but I still don't know if it's that easy. His character in The Sentinel was a little weasely and even One Night at McCool's (which I didn't see) appeared to be pretty crass comedy.<br /><br />I don't know, you could speculate all day but the point is that this guy used to be great in movies (and those who like but haven't seen it really need to check out <a href="http://getafilm.blogspot.com/2008/09/underrated-motm-falling-down-1993_10.html" rel="nofollow">Falling Down</a>) and there's been nothing of substance going on a decade now.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222052132452709301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435253058176416288.post-83152308722956789312009-06-03T01:10:54.938-05:002009-06-03T01:10:54.938-05:00Yeah, I'm with what you both have said here in...Yeah, I'm with what you both have said here in the comments - I think his priorities shifted wildly after hooking up with CZJ, and especially after having some kids with her. I just don't think he cares that much about his "lead actor" career at this point; it's not like he had much to prove, anyhow.<br /><br />Still, he's missed, and could easily regain relevance were he to get some plum roles, I'd think.Fletchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17299302086449086987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435253058176416288.post-77027205625012592342009-06-02T20:52:56.770-05:002009-06-02T20:52:56.770-05:00CZJ could have been one of the factors, to be sure...CZJ could have been one of the factors, to be sure. She definitely appears to be an upstanding woman who would want the father of her children to play respectable characters, but that seems to go out the window with Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (which I shouldn't have to confirm that I haven't seen, but I'm confirming it). <br /><br />But the two kids with her could have been another factor, like you say. Also, Kirk Douglas had a stroke in the late 90's and I would imagine Michael focused his attention to his dad's health as well.<br /><br />But despite these reasons I'm still unsure of the reason behind the three year break between 03' and '06. Those two movies in '06 (Dupree and The Sentinel) definitely weren't very good, but they also weren't bad because of him. It's almost like he found the right roles again but in the wrong movies, when he'd always correctly made that match earlier in his career. <br /><br />I also saw - and this is really venturing into tabloid territory here - that he recently had hip surgery or something, so that might sideline him for a while. He has a couple things in the pipeline right now but nothing of great public interest until the blandly named Wall Street 2 (as if they had to keep the name to capitalize on marketing familiarity, even though you have the same actor and director and now the addition of huge supporting stars?).Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222052132452709301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435253058176416288.post-8575166126722921572009-06-02T18:26:41.055-05:002009-06-02T18:26:41.055-05:00I think you're underestimating the CZJ factor here...I think you're underestimating the CZJ factor here. Not that she's a Yoko Ono or anything, picture this scenario: After a decade or so of playing the misogynist jerk, you put yourself out there with a movie you're deeply proud of (Wonder Boys) that got ignored for the most part and around the same time you marry one of the sexiest women ever to walk the earth. <br /><br />Now, I won't go so far as to say that men and women only do the things they do in order to attract a mate, but I do believe success in that department can have a cooling effect on creative energy. Your priorities change. Plus they spawned, right? So that's one more distraction.Craig Kennedyhttp://livingincinema.comnoreply@blogger.com